TONIGHT--BETH AND MRS "G" JOIN ANDREA SHEA-KING TO DISCUSS "PROJECT VALOUR-IT"

Team Air Force Leader, Mrs. Greyhawk, along with Beth at Fuzzylicious Thinking, will be on the ANDREA SHEA-KING SHOW this evening at 9 PM ET--BlogTalkRadio.

Together they will be talking about Project Valour-IT and the Air Force Team's strategy for victory. According to Mrs G, Project Valour-IT wouldn't be the success it is today without Beth's involvement, so we'll have some questions regarding her dedication to our wounded service members and Soldiers' Angels.

Also, Mrs G was a guest of the POTUS at the White House back in September. Along with a few other bloggers, Mrs G was able to ask the president questions as well as give her input. Her historic meeting lasted for an hour, so naturally we'll be asking her about this experience.

Later this week, Mrs G and Beth will be interviewed on Andrea's Sunday night show in Orlando on AM 580 WDBO--9 PM ET. The show will be streamed "live" on the internet, so make a note. I'll have more details and linkage later this week.

THE LATEST: The donations for Project Valour-IT are steadily coming in but we have a long way to go before we hit our combined goal of $240,000, so keep hitting the Donation button, and by all means continue aggressively spreading the word so others can donate.

If you're late to the party, Project Valour-IT raises money to buy voice-activated laptops for our wounded service members who suffer from hand and arm injuries. Complete info about the project as well as how to join a team is here.

For up-to-date donation totals by team, click here.

Go TEAM AIR FORCE!!

"PROJECT VALOUR-IT" BEGINS TODAY

Project Valour-IT begins today and continues through November 11. If you're not familiar with the project, here's what it's all about--from Soldiers' Angels:

"Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, helps provide voice-controlled and adaptive laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field. The experience of MAJ Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered serious hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important these laptops can be to a wounded service member's recovery." Read more...

This is a "fundraising competition" that's split among the major services: Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy. Each team has a goal of raising $60,000. Sounds like a lot, and it is, but each year we meet and surpass our goals. And because of your generosity, many adaptive laptops are provided to our wounded service members.

Last year I was invited to join Team Air Force--I'm an Army Vet--and this year I'm proud to be part of their team again. Mrs. Greyhawk of Mudville Gazette is our Team Leader. Very proud to fly with her, and under her leadership I'm sure Team Air Force will leave the other teams sittin' on the tarmac.

Anyone can join Team Air Force and I encourage you to do so. If, however, you prefer to be associated with another branch of service, that's cool too. Just go here and sign-up. It's easy to do--and be sure to check out who's on each team. The list is growing.

Now, most importantly, we need you to donate to the effort. I don't care if you've got $5 or $5000. Just send something. And, if you join a team, blog about it. If not, blog about it, anyway. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, or just stop people on the street and tell them all about Project Valour-IT.

This is one of the greatest fundraising efforts I've ever been a part of--I invite YOU to be part of it as well. You'll be glad you did. So, let the "smack talk" begin!!

Hit the DONATION button below.

Go TEAM AIR FORCE!!

ANDREA'S BACK IN TOWN

No more "best of" shows--Andrea goes "live" tonight from Orlando. Andrea Shea-King has returned to her Orlando studios after being on-the-road attending the Conservative Leadership Conference in Reno as well as the Republican National Debate in Orlando last weekend--a guest of Duncan Hunter's presidential campaign.

Tonight, Andrea has a full dance card--4 interviews. Special mention: Bob Owens of Confederate Yankee will be with us discussing the whole Scott Thomas Beauchamp debacle. Should be very interesting.

Show starts at 9 PM ET, streamed LIVE via the internet. All the linkage you'll need is located at Andrea's blog, THE RADIO PATRIOT. (show and chat room links at the bottom)

SIDE NOTE: Now that he's gone, Gerald Ford's impressions and recollections of Bill Clinton's sex scandal are part of a new book. Hillary's included too. In the midst of the scandal, Clinton called Ford to ask for his help. Interesting revelations.

SCHOOL BUS MISSING--updated

A 40 foot long, 96 passenger school bus has been reported stolen from a Roseville, California, school parking lot. The yellow bus was stolen either late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, according to an article this morning in the Sacramento Bee.

Immediately, my thoughts went to an interview Andrea Shea-King did with author Brad Thor. His book, The First Commandment, deals with the real possibility of terrorists taking over one of our schools. This idea is based on the Beslan model (Glenn Beck interview) as well as from plans that were found in the possession of terrorists. The plans indicated a very real interest in our schools. It's a chilling thought. Go to Brad Thor's website for more information on the subject.

I talked with Brad Thor by phone about an hour ago regarding this incident. He wasn't aware of the story.

Now, in this case, the bus will probably be found. However, because of a lack of security, it shows that it can be done. Once a terrorist group gets control of a busload of our kids, we're at their mercy. And, btw, who steals a school bus?? I wonder.

Local police are asking for the public's assistance in finding this bus. Here's the article from today's Bee:

School bus stolen from Roseville parking lot

By Art Campos - acampos@sacbee.com Published 6:45 am PDT Friday, October 26, 2007

Officials at the private Merryhill School on Baseline Road in Roseville are at a loss to explain why anyone would want to steal their 2-year-old, 40-foot-long school bus.

The yellow, 96-passenger bus was missing from the parking lot when the first teacher arrived on campus at 6 a.m. today, said Stacy Phillips, assistant principal.

"We are located in a nice neighborhood and far enough away from the road so that people never bother us," Phillips said. "So we are shocked that this happened." (my emphasis)

Police believe the theft occurred sometime Wednesday night or early today at the school.

They asked citizens to keep an eye open for the bus, which has the words "Merryhill School" on the sides and which also displays two identification numbers. The numbers are "Unit #586" and "Fleet #N63989."

Phillips said the new bus, which cost $130,000, was used primarily for field trips. A regular fleet of buses is already used to transport children to and from school, she said.

About 60 kindergarten and first-grade children were scheduled to use the new bus today to visit to a pumpkin patch in Wheatland, she said.

"They were very crushed when they found out they couldn't attend," Phillips said.

The school at 1370 Baseline Road teaches children from infancy to first grade, Phillips said.

Other Merryhill private schools are located throughout the region and some teach through the eighth grade, she said.

Anyone with information about the missing bus is asked to call the Roseville Police Department at (916) 774-5000.

UPDATE: The stolen bus was located 163 miles away near Madera, California, Thursday night at 6:45 pm. It was abandoned on the side of a road with its flashers on. The investigation continues....

BE GLAD THAT SUCH MEN LIVED

I don't know if you've been watching Ken Burns' documentary, "The War", but I encourage you to do so. I'm not sure if it's available for rental yet, however, I do know you can purchase the series. If ever there was a documentary covering all aspects of WWII, this is the one. Burns' body of work is nothing short of extraordinary and, come Oscar time, "The War" is sure to come out on top.

"The War" is about the impact WWII had on every town in America. But Burns couldn't do a story about each and every town, so he chose four: Luverne, Mobile, Waterbury, and Sacramento. Burns didn't utilize experts or historians in the making of this documentary. Instead, he had families from each of the four towns tell their story about life during the war.

Since I live in the Sacramento area, Folsom, I was especially looking forward to watching. The photos, newsreels, and home movies from that era, coupled with the interviews, were simply outstanding. All of that, together with the music of the day, gave you an accurate feel for the times.

Sacramento county had just under 131,000 people registered for the draft. One of those draftees was Earl Burke, and he played a part in "The War". Burke was a member of a B-17 gunner crew; he operated twin .50 caliber machine guns from the ball turret. In time, his ball turret would be the focus of many German anti-aircraft guns. And when the FLAK's flying, the ball turret is a very unsettling and dangerous place to be.

When Burke first arrived in England, he was under the impression that he couldn't be hurt and was positive no harm would come to him or his crew. He was young. But, one morning in Oct 1943, that youthful sense of security would leave him. It was soon replaced with a sense of terror--from the Sacramento Bee:

"His confidence evaporated the foggy morning of Oct. 14, 1943, as he prepared for a raid on Schweinfurt, a German manufacturing center. An earlier raid on the city resulted in the loss of 60 Allied planes and 600 crewmen, and Burke recalled the unspoken terror among crewmen as they boarded their planes for a mission from which they knew many probably would not return.

"You did not want to get into that airplane, but you did anyway," he said. "You got into the airplane because your friends were getting into the aircraft. You didn't want to let your friends down – even though, you know, you didn't want to go."

Yes, Burke got on board the aircraft. He did his job. Though he was wounded twice during his service, Burke survived the war and came home with two Purple Hearts. He was very proud to have served his country. He married in '46, worked until his retirement in '85. And, sadly, on Oct 17th 2007, Earl Burke passed away at the age of 84.

Everything we have today, we owe to men like Earl Burke. RIP.

Extended preview: THE WAR

IMMIGRATION REFORM--THE DREAM ACT--IS IN PLAY AGAIN...CALL, CALL, CALL!!!

UPDATE: The News is Good.

Harry Reid & Co. is making another run at passing Immigration Reform today--The Dream Act. Stop what you're doing and phone, email, or fax your senators to tell them that a "no" vote is all you want to see from them.

The congress is well aware that the majority of Americans are against Immigration Reform--in any form--but they continue to bring it up for a vote. Having said that, I think we should continue contacting them even when it's not up for a vote, thus reinforcing our opposition to any future attempts at passage. To not do this, I think, will eventually bring us Immigration Reform. Not a good thing.

Michelle Malkin has all the numbers, as does The Radio Patriot. Or, you can go to the Senate site.

SEATED IN THE 2ND ROW, ANDREA SHEA-KING AT THE GOP DEBATE IN ORLANDO

Kitty, thanks for the comments. I miss your blogging. We all do.

Last night's debate was very exciting as well as draining. The purpose of the live-blogging wasn't for political analysis, as some thought; it was done to give you an insight as to what it's like to be at one of these high-charged, political events.

Andrea has her wrap-up of the event posted at her site--The Radio Patriot--and she's included many great pictures of people she saw and people she met. Tonight, on her BlogTalkRadio show, she'll be talking about her experiences at the GOP debate. The show begins at 9 PM ET. Douglas V. Gibbs will be her co-host. Btw, Douglas is great.

As I said, the event was exciting for me because, using her cell phone with an earpiece, I was able to experience the debate proceedings, all the sounds, other people talking, from the second row as she fed me information--some things you see on tv, some you don't. For example, I knew about Mitt's hair malfunction before it was on tv. Andrea said, "Oh my, God. Mitt's hair!" And, as it would happen, Andrea was seated behind Mrs Romney.

Anyway, you can read all about it in the post just below this one. At any rate, it was exciting, draining, and it could be a blogging first. No matter though, it was fun.

My thoughts on how the candidates did: Well, I'm not an expert but I do have an opinion. I'll leave the analysis to the experts. Capt Ed has an interesting take.

First, I noticed that Ron Paul was asked a lot of questions. I thought that was a waste. And I took note that his followers skewed the Fox polling. Too bad.

Tancredo and Hunter did well with the few questions they were given. I would've enjoyed hearing more from them. They did very well, though. Andrea was in the audience as a guest of Duncan Hunter, so we thank him for that.

Gov. Huckabee was rock solid and it appears he's gaining more momentum. I like him. No doubt he'll be on the short list for VP if he doesn't make it to the #1 spot.

Rudy was strong, as always, and he helped himself in a big way. Of all the candidates, he's the one who will destroy Her Royal Pantsuit in a debate. He's not afraid of the spotlight, questions, or Her Royal Pantsuit. However, at heart, I still think he's a democrat, on paper, anyway. He did promise Florida voters that he and the other candidates would be spending time in the state. When he comes on Andrea's Sunday show, I'll believe him. Trust me, we'll be holding him to his word.

Mitt was the big loser of the night. Not because of the hair, though that was funny, but because he's so robotic, prepared, scripted, perfect--you pick the descriptive. He doesn't come across to me as a regular guy. More like the republican version of John Kerry. I don't feel comfortable with him.

Fred Thompson was under pressure to do better than last week, especially after the short speech the night before. I thought he scored in a big way as well. I'm comfortable with him, so far, but I still need to know more and am looking forward to seeing him in future debates. Though not as quick as some of his opponents, I thought he showed great improvement. Fred Heads can breathe a sigh of relief. I can hear Pam exhaling now. His sense of humor worked well.

John McCain, along with Fred, needed to show improvement too. And he did. I said that Mitt was the big loser of the night and I think it's mainly because of McCain's attacks on him. Devastating. The Woodstock comment targeted at HRP was pure gold as well. Long ago I thought McCain was politically dead. I had a shovel in hand ready for the burial. Now, I'm not so sure. I liked him last night, and that's saying something. Overall, McCain was the most improved and I think it's a toss-up between him and Rudy for winning the night, but I'm leaning towards McCain. Brainster will love that I'm preparing to eat my words.

Finally, Andrea did one hell of a great job with this project. It was no easy task making the trip to Orlando, getting shuttled around, security checks, finding the right places to be, hanging out with Sean Hannity et al, not to mention all the walking in those high heels. A real trooper, she is. I encourage all of you to stop by her site and leave a comment. But, before you do that, here's a picture she took last night of Florida Gov Charlie Crist. I think it screams for a caption, but I don't do those caption contests, so If you agree, send it along to someone who does. Click it to enlarge. Give Andrea the hat tippage.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ANDREA SHEA-KING?

**UPDATES APPEAR AT THE BOTTOM**



Well, lately, Andrea seems to be everywhere. This Sunday, though, you won't find Andrea doing her regular Sunday night show from Orlando on WDBO, but she will be in Orlando. WDBO will be running a "best of" during her regular time slot at 9 PM ET.

First, late this afternoon, Andrea will be dining with Sean Hannity. Not bad. Then, not long after dinner, Andrea will be taking her seat in the audience to watch the Republican Presidential Candidates Debate, which is being held in Orlando tonight and sponsored by FoxNews.

Andrea is an invited guest of Duncan Hunter's presidential campaign.

Andrea's press credentials are top-notch and allow her total access to the facilities, so don't be surprised if she lands a great interview or ends-up being interviewed herself.

At any rate, she'll be working the crowd--I'll be in direct contact with her in case something "special" develops. If it does, I'll post it here immediately along with any updates from Andrea. Trust me, I'll be getting some updates, so check back before the debate begins.

PRE DEBATE SHOW: 7-8 PM ET

GOP DEBATE: 8 PM ET

POST DEBATE SHOW FOLLOWS--HANNITY AND COLMES

Andrea's Blog, THE RADIO PATRIOT

***************UPDATES*****************

2 PM ET: Andrea and I just finished organizing for the debate proceedings. She'll be on the road to Orlando within the hour. Andrea sends her thanks to John Ruberry at Marathon Pundit for his post. (if you post about Andrea, let us know in the comments--thx)

3 PM: Andrea just called in from the road. She's on her way. Duncan Hunter's rep made contact and will be waiting with her VIP Press Pass when she arrives.

4:05 PM : She just arrived at the Orange County Convention Center, parked the car. She's now on the bus heading over to the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort where Duncan Hunter's Rep, Dennis, is waiting for her. Andrea says the only piece of political advertising is for Duncan Hunter, located at the entrance. Lots of buses, lots of people.

4:35 : Dennis McCarthy, Duncan Hunter's Florida State Director, gave Andrea her press pass. She says he was just wonderful. (very, very helpful) Now, Andrea's at the restaurant, just shook hands with Sean Hannity. Sean's working the room signing autographs,etc. 4 tables with seating for 6 at each...Andrea's seated with Sean. Some of the others attending are marketing execs with WDBO...the majority of people were invited guests from a previous gathering that Sean had to cancel last minute because he secretly traveled to Iraq, so he's making it up to them with this dinner...Andrea was just enlisted by someone to take pictures...dinner menu coming...

4:55: Ok, Sean had to leave to do a taping for the pre debate show, so it looks like he won't be there for the actual dinner...Dinner: Insalata...Caesar Salad...Penne Pasta...Shrimp...Chicken, Snapper, or Fillet are offered as the entree. Dolce is the dessert offering...All of this fine food is provided by the Cala Bella Restaurant. Andrea is now seated for dinner...(rumor has it...I have an autograph--hey hey)...

6 PM: Pre debate show beginning on Fox. Actually, I think this is a Pre, Pre debate show with Chris Wallace.

7:05: Dinner was very nice. Andrea's program director asked Sean who he thought would be the republican nominee...Sean said definitely it would be either Rudy, Mitt, or Thompson. He thinks eventually they'll get together and agree on who, then fight it out for the VP slot...

...continuing from the dinner area, she made her way to the Media Control Center--I'm on the phone with her as this happens--describes the room as huge, lots of tables, lots of reporters sitting with laptops...now she's going to areas she's not supposed to be...opens a door and Juan Williams is on the other side with Jeff Birnbaum and Mike Majchrowic (sp). Andrea explains she's live-blogging the event...Juan says ok...then they talk about his book and he thanks her for asking and says it's doing very well...Andrea grabs her camera and gets a pic with them...they are very busy but most accommodating to her....now she's talking with Mara Liasson...

...off the phone now...she's going to work the room some more before going to her seat...everyone must get rid off their cell phones, cameras and purses before being seated--a pain. Will call back in a minute for her last update before the debate.

7:25: Andrea just met a co-anchor she worked with yrs ago...Scott Harris...ushers are strict about being seated on time, so some U. of Florida gals said they would watch her things while she's in the auditorium...lucky break there...next update after the debate is concluded...you can feel the energy through the phone...it's electric...

...one last thing: from the candidates' perspective on stage, Andrea will be seated 2 rows back on the right...

7:45: Because of Andrea's press credential, she was able to bring her cell phone...but not allowed to use it...so, we're on the phone anyway...sitting directly in front of Andrea is Mrs Romney...a few seats down from her, Mrs McCain...next to her, Lindsey Graham...Mel Martinez' brother and sister-in-law are nearby...at the end of Andrea's row is Jeri Thompson...behind her, Florida's AG...couldn't get his name because they're introducing the candidates on stage...very noisy...

...press is being given 3 minute warning...Andrea is using her headset so no one knows she's on the phone with me...8 PM...Brit is on now...too cool...had to hang up for now.

***My note...Fred is starting strong...but the big question so far...will Mitt be able to fix that clump of hair that's out of place? Andrea said he just reached up and fixed it while off camera.

9:35: End of debate...Andrea making her way back to the media center...huge throngs of people moving to the stage...lost the cell signal...brb

9:45: Now in the media center, moving towards the Hannity and Colmes set...Alan's having his make-up done...Fred's making his way to the set...

9:47: Andrea just behind Hannity and on live for about 10 seconds...now talking with Bill Crystal...

9: 50: Talking with Duncan Hunter....thanked him for the invitation...said his wife wasn't able to make it tonight because she has the grandkids...Now talking with Cong. Feeney...telling him how upset she is over his support of the SCHIP...he's trying to explain...he's really taking his time with this because Andrea had contacted him thru his office re SCHIP...(this is live while we're on the phone--talk about a front row seat...)

10:00: Cong. Feeney still talking....now waiting for John McCain...hang on...still waiting for McCain...there's Ron Paul...applause for McCain from the crowd...Andrea's going to take a break for a few...taking many pics...now heading for the exit for the drive home...

$2,100,100.00 + $2,100,100.00

How's that condemnation thing workin' out for ya, Harry?

HATE CRIME? YOU MAKE THE CALL

If you take a costumed figure of a witch, put a noose around its neck and hang it on your property during the Halloween season, does it constitute a hate crime? Well, some folks think so.

Tonight, Andrea Shea-King interviews Laurie Cabot, Salem's self-proclaimed witch, and together they'll get to the bottom of this controversial issue. This story is taking on a life of its own and you'll be reading more about it in the days to come.

Go to Andrea's blog--THE RADIO PATRIOT--for all the details and links. Show starts at 9 PM ET.

While we're on the subject of hate crimes, here's one that didn't happen.

REID'S ATTACK ON RUSH BACKFIRING

Harry Reid and Company attacked Rush. Harry Reid and Company made a big mistake. Here's the speech where Rush outlines his next move. In case you're not up-to-speed, the video explains the situation, and Pam has more details and linkage. Rush's site has more. Monday's bidding reached $45,000. Hat tip: Pam at Blogmeister USA

2007 CLC ENDS; CAPTAIN ED MORRISSEY RECEIVES "BLOGGER OF THE YEAR" AWARD

The 2007 Conservative Leadership Conference, held this week in Reno, Nevada, came to an end on Saturday night. According to Andrea Shea-King, who arrived in Reno last Wednesday, the evening ended with some surprises.

Most notable to the blogging world: Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters was presented with the "Blogger of the Year" award. No doubt, a good choice.

Andrea posted about each day's events, speakers, and added many great pictures to accompany the commentary. She met Duncan Hunter and had her picture taken with him. Sorry to say, though, no picture of her and Mitt. What's up with that?

For more, stop by Andrea's blog, The Radio Patriot, to see a full report on the conference.

Here's Andrea Saturday night with Warner Todd Huston and the 2007 Blogger of the Year, Ed Morrissey:

GENERAL SANCHEZ DROPPED TWO BOMBS; MSM FAILED TO REPORT ON THE SECOND ONE

I read the story links at Drudge about General Sanchez' remarks, and I'm not happy with what he (Sanchez) had to say about the war effort. Such things as, "Nightmare with no end in sight" and "Desperate attempt", the latter being a description of the "surge".

However, Sanchez' criticisms weren't just about the war effort, they were about the media's biased and agenda-driven reporting. This LITTLE DETAIL went unreported by the press. It's simply another example of how dangerous the MSM can be when it comes to reporting on the war or anything else related to the Bush administration.

This story goes to show you the lengths the MSM will go to in order to get the "negative story" out there first, because that's what the public will remember. I ran across the complete story from one of those "untrained bloggers" at Wizbang.

One of the stories from Drudge is here. Compare it to the Kim Priestap piece at Wizbang linked above. And don't miss all the other great linkage at the bottom of Priestap's post.

THE U.S.S. COLE--7 YEARS AGO

When it comes to remembering the U.S.S. Cole, no one does it quite like Andrea over at The Radio Patriot. Thanks.

***UPDATE: Andrea's tribute to the U.S.S. Cole is linked at Michelle Malkin's site.

LIVE FROM RENO, NEVADA, IT'S ANDREA!!

Andrea Shea-King is in Reno for the Conservative Leadership Conference. She landed Wednesday, and today she was joined by Captain Ed Morrissey. Lots of people are attending--big names, little names. For the latest from Reno, go over to The Radio Patriot, where Andrea will be keeping us in-the-loop.

ANY GUESSES AS TO WHO'S FACE WILL BE ON THE FIRST BATCH OF "AMEROS"?

Tuesday night I watched Bill O'Reilly interview Vicente Fox. At first I was surprised to see him on the Factor but then I realized he was selling a book. Figures. I didn't like what he had to say about the immigration problem at all. Mostly, he made it clear that we Americans are the blame. And the drug problem? You guessed it, America is the blame. The drug market is just too good.

I cruised over to Christi King's blog, COMMON SENSE AMERICA, and she has a very interesting post about Fox' interview with Larry King. It appears Fox let the cat out of the bag, at least part way. Take a read.

REP. JOHN MICA: CHARTERED TROOP FLIGHTS AT OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COMING TO AN END; ANNOUNCEMENT TUESDAY--updated

***WELCOME MICHELLE MALKIN READERS***

Last night on THE ANDREA SHEA-KING SHOW, we discussed the situation at the Oakland International Airport and the planeload of U.S. Marines and Soldiers (204) returning from Iraq. As you remember, the returning troops were not allowed into the terminal area during the layover because of a "misunderstanding" or a "paperwork problem". The troops were forced to stay outside about 400 yards from the terminal area. Apparently, our military was viewed as a security risk.

Michelle Malkin posted on Oct 3rd that Oakland Airport officials had apologized for the incident. But, that's not the end of this story, not by a long shot. Read on:

Republican presidential candidate, Duncan Hunter, stopped by the show last night to give us his take on the situation--let's just say he was not happy--Note: Andrea extended invitations to Boxer, Feinstein, and Pelosi to come on the show to comment. Needless to say, they weren't on the show. But Duncan Hunter, who's from San Diego, found the time.

After Hunter's interview, we spoke with Rep. John Mica, 7th District of Florida. He's not happy, either. In fact, he called for an investigation into the Oakland incident, noting that this isn't the first time the Oakland airport has treated our returning military in such a disrespectful manner. He doesn't think this was an "accident". Mica is the ranking member on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, so he has some influence on the matter.

During the interview, Mica gave our listeners some "inside information" about the Oakland airport that has yet to be shared, officially, with the public, but will be Tuesday when congress reconvenes.

Mica said the Department of Defense and Charter Flight Operators have agreed to halt all flights into the Oakland airport. Sacramento International, according to Mica, will likely be the airport to receive our troop layover flights from now on. Again, Mica said this will be announced in congress this Tuesday. Plus, he said he'd have more information at that time.

It's not often we score a victory over the anti-military, San Francisco Bay Area, but it looks like we have this time.

If you're late to the party, Michelle Malkin has the story about Oakland's recent treatment of our returning military.

UPDATE:

***I just received some quotes from the Mica interview transcript:

Ranking member of the House Transportation Infrastructure Committee:

"There's a lot of finger pointing going on"

"I do have some news that hasn't been announced, and we'll probably announce it maybe Tuesday when we get back in session in Washington.

Friday afternoon the Department of Defense and the Charter operators have made a preliminary decision to not stop in Oakland anymore -- we haven't announced that but we'll make sure it doesn't happen again. I believe we're going to go thru Sacramento and confirm that probably Tuesday. That's one way to deal with the situation."[...]

"I'm giving you some sort of advance that hasn't been publicly announced, but I'll probably announce it Tuesday. I want to go back and reconfirm with the military and the charter folks the new routing. I was told preliminarily that they were looking at Sacramento. So, they will stop where they're welcome.

And not only does Oakland have a national embarrassment from what they've done, they'll also suffer financially because we won't be putting any of the military air charter flights through there."

"We'll get a final report. I really don't know what our options are. One was to pull the flights and in working with DOD that will be done. We'll have to see what else."

The podcast for last night's show is up.

ENJOY THE WEEKEND!!

"BLOGMEISTER USA"--ON THE AIR TONIGHT

Pam Meister will be co-hosting with Andrea Shea-King tonight on BlogTalkRadio. She's been a guest of the show many times and always does a terrific job--very professional. Her background includes broadcasting, so tonight you'll get to listen to Pam as she takes the reins as co-host alongside Andrea. (In addition to her broadcasting background, Pam has theatre experience too)

Tune in at 9 PM ET.

Chat room will be open. (link at upper right)

POLITICIANS: GEORGE PATTON KNEW THEM ALL TOO WELL

During his life, Patton had a great deal to say about politicians, but the quote at the top of this blog best sums up his feelings. And I agree with him completely. Yes, one can point to a few good politicians in our time, however, their names escape me. But, in general, I think Patton's assessment is correct, especially today.

Patton was quoted on a wide range of topics, "politicians" being one of them. One such quote is so true today that I thought I'd share it with you:

"You must be single minded. Drive for the one thing on which you have decided. You will find that you will make some people miserable; those you love and very often yourself. And, if it looks like you are getting there, all kinds of people, including some whom you thought were loyal friends, will suddenly show up doing their Goddamndest, hypocritical best to trip you up, blacken you, and break your spirit. Politicians are the worst; they'll wear their country's flag in public, but they'll use it to wipe their asses in the caucus room, if they think that it will win them a vote."

If you'd like to read another opinion of some politicians, The Radio Patriot does a superb job. The political climate in our Nation is about to reach critical mass and something's got to give, so hit the link.

THEY'RE AT THE GATE...BUT WILL FRED THOMPSON WIN, PLACE, OR SHOW?

Now that Newt's out of the presidential business, it looks like the republican field is complete. So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, like people realizing Hillary's a Marxist and Rudy's really a democrat, I think these two will remain at the top.

There's a couple items that haven't fully developed that could impact their front-runner status: Oprah and Fred Thompson.

With the most influential woman in America backing Obama, one could expect a shift in support Obama's way. At the very least, it'll be interesting to see how "Her Royal Pantsuit" deals with this threat.

Did you know that Fred Thompson is running? It was in all the papers. Well, he is, but we haven't seen "Fred the Candidate" yet. He hasn't participated in a debate, so we don't have a clue how he'll hold up against his fellow competitors.

Personally, I don't have a good feeling about Rudy; Mitt is way too slick; and McCain's resting comfortably in political ICU. That said, I'll wait to see how Fred presents himself, and I'm hoping he does well.

Peter Mulhern has an article at Real Clear Politics that explains why he thinks Fred can win. Could he be right?